A Private Moment
by metaphoricheart
Summary: Caspian witnesses a private moment between Lucy and Edmund after Edmund has a nightmare and experiences the mist. Set during the VoTD. No slash or incest. One shot.


**A Private Moment**

_Takes place during the Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Edmund has his dream, and the green mist taunts him in the form of Jadis, and he draws his sword, startling Caspian._

Caspian woke to the unsheathing of a sword. He quickly sat up, startled, to see Edmund holding his sword in the air, a wild look of terror in his eyes.

"Edmund?" Caspian called, causing Edmund's eyes to snap over to him, the terror in his eyes growing.

"Edmund, it's me, Caspian," Caspian called carefully, realizing Edmund didn't seem to have any sense of where he was.

Edmund lowered his sword, slowly, comprehension beginning to dawn on his face. "Oh, I-I'm sorry…"

Caspian got up from his hammock, and strode over to the boy who was only younger in looks. "Nightmares?"

"Something like that," Edmund muttered, pulling his knees up to his chest, and not looking at Caspian.

"I've had them too, it's the mist…" Caspian trailed off. Edmund nodded.

Studying the Just King Caspian decided that Edmund looked rather scared and upset, not a usual expression on the normally calm, and confident face. "Are you alright?"

He reached out to put his hand on Edmund's shoulder, but Edmund flinched violently away. Caspian pulled his hand back, "I'm not going to hurt you," he said thoroughly bewildered.

Just then Lucy came crashing through the door, "I've just had the most horrid nightmare, it must be the mist! Did you two have them too? Are you are al-," she stopped at the sight of Edmund curled up in his hammock.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Caspian interjected quickly.

Lucy glanced quickly at Caspian before turning her attention back to Edmund. "It's alright, I know what to do."

"Edmund, it's Lucy. You're not with Her. She can't hurt you, Peter, Susan, or me." Slowly she took his face in her hands, and lifted his face up. He didn't flinch.

"How did touch him without having him flinch?" Caspian enquired, feeling very out of place.

"I am his sister, Caspian. He's had many nightmares before, although it's been awhile since he's had one," she said, frowning.

Lucy looked back at her older brother's face in her hands. "Are you alright?"

Edmund shrugged; Lucy sighed and smiled at him reassuringly. "Why don't we go, and get some fresh air?"

She pulled Edmund up, and led him out of cabin, leaving Caspian alone. He stared after them, wondering what Edmund could have possibly dreamt to make him react this badly. Yes, he knew the story, but it was told from an outside observer. From a book, and his professor. He'd never heard the story from any of the Pevensies themselves, and if anything remotely connected to it was brought up, Edmund would often quickly leave the room.

He heard muffled voices above, and a couple of sniffs. _Was Edmund crying? _He'd never seen Edmund cry, not that it meant he never did. It was just an odd thought to behold; Edmund was strong and stoic. Knowing that he should probably stay here, that whatever was going on above him was a private moment between brother and sister, he let his curiosity get the better of him. He climbed up to the top, but stayed hidden in the shadows.

Looking out he saw Lucy leaning forward, and wiping Edmund's tears with her thumbs. She was saying something to him but Caspian couldn't hear what she was saying over the wind.

As quietly as he could he padded over to a barrel on deck, and hid behind it.

"…Ed, you have to let Her go. You have to stop feeling so guilty. She can't really harm you anymore, Aslan took care of that, but if you keep carrying Her around with you, She's going to hurt your mind. The mist isn't going to help that either. You're the most vulnerable to it, you have try to believe that you have no reason to feel guilty anymore, Ed. I thought you were getting over this?" Lucy said gently to her brother.

Caspian waited for Edmund's usual sarcastic mark, so he was surprised when, "I-I'm sorry, Lucy. I'm sorry. I'm going to endanger everyone once we get to the island. I can't get her out of my h-head…all the things I d-did". He started crying again.

With eyes wide Caspian watched the strong, calm, clever, Just King shoulders shook aggressively. "Shh, shh, please don't cry," Lucy cooed.

After awhile Edmund calmed down, and Lucy wiped away his remaining tears again with her thumb. "What was the nightmare about Edmund?"

"I…I don't want to talk about it."

Lucy raised her eyebrows in concern. "That bad, was it?"

Edmund nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "It helps to talk about it you know. How about you just give me a basic outline?" Lucy implored.

Her older brother looked at her for a moment, and then looked away. "She made me kill each of you, one by one," he said flatly.

Caspian gasped silently, that was awful, and knowing how protective Edmund was of his siblings, that must have been an unbearable dream.

Lucy seemed to be in agreement, because she gasped as well, and through her arms around Edmund.

"That is horrible, Ed," she breathed into his neck. She held him for a few moments, until Edmund said quietly into her shoulder, "I miss Peter."

She pulled back and smiled at him sadly. "Yes, he is usually the better one for this job, isn't he?"

"Oh Lu, I didn't mean it like that-"

Lucy cut Edmund off. "I didn't take it that way, Ed. I was just saying that he's the one you usually run too, but he isn't here, so that makes it slightly worse. Am I right?"

Edmund sighed, "Yes, I suppose."

"You'll see him soon enough," she reassured him.

They lapsed into silence again. Suddenly Lucy spoke, "Remember when you came back to us from Her, and you had a talk with Aslan before you came down to us?"

"Yes…of course I do," Edmund said slowly. How could he not remember? That's where his life had turned around.

"Do you remember what he said to you?"

"Y-you want to know what he said to me?" Edmund asked slightly embarrassed, that was the most private conversation he'd ever had.

"No! No! That's between you and Him! I just thought that after you talked with Aslan, you seemed to feel so much…better, and you changed. Maybe when She invades your thoughts, you could just think back to that talk to Aslan. It might help you."

Edmund's face broke into a slow smile, and he flung his arms around his sister. "Yes, that's a great idea. Thanks Lucy! I'll have to try it."

She beamed at him. Edmund studied her. "Didn't you say, you had a nightmare too?"

Caspian didn't see Lucy nod slowly. He suddenly felt very embarrassed with himself for watching something he clearly wasn't meant to be a part of. He quietly slipped down the stairs, with the paradox of understanding the Pevensies better, but also being more confused swimming in his head.


End file.
